Meat snacks have emerged as the clear winner in America’s seismic GLP-1 consumption shift, while popcorn is down

The meat stick, long associated with truck stops and road trips, has undergone a rebranding. Fueled by a national obsession with protein and the rise of weight-loss medications, meat snacks have become a rare bright spot in the food industry, evolving into a $5.5 billion juggernaut.

While organic growth across the broader packaged food sector has stalled following the post-COVID volume fade, meat snacks are surging. Sales in the category grew 6.6% in 2025 alone, outpacing the broader savory snacks market, according to Bank of America Global Research. The driver of this boom is a fundamental shift in the American diet: the desperate hunt for protein.

Some 71% of U.S. consumers were actively seeking to increase their protein intake, according to the International Food Information Council 2024 Food & Health Survey. However, the current explosion in the category is inextricably linked to the “Ozempic effect.” The widespread adoption of GLP-1 medications like Wegovy has altered consumption habits, driving intense interest in portion-controlled, nutrient-dense snacks that provide satiety without high carbohydrate counts.

“GLP-1s are not a fad,” Wells Fargo agricultural economist Michael Swanson told Fortune in a rece...